Adjustable haircutting guide



April 27, 1965 United States Patent 3,180,341 ADJUSTABLE HAIRCUTTING GUIDE Francis A. Dumont, '163 Cornell St., Cranston 9, RI. Filed Feb. 15, 1963, Ser. No. 258,683 4 Claims. (Cl. 132-45) This invention relates to a haircutting guide for home haircutting by the amateur.

An object of the invention is to provide a guide so that one unskilled in haircutting may achieve a presentable haircut by eliminating the fear of stepladder results.

Another object of this invention is to provide a guide which will enable a person to cut his own hair or the hair of another person.

Another object of the invention is to provide a haircutters guide which may be used in combination with clippers or scissors or other barbering equipment, all of which may be used by the unskilled to cut either anothers hair or his own.

Another object of the invention is to provide a fixed guide for the head so that only the cutting implements will be necessary to be manipulated for cutting the hair.

Another object of the invention is to provide a haircutting guide which will not obstruct the use of such barbers instruments such as clippers and the like by getting into the teeth thereof.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement so that the length of hair may be varied at different parts of the head.

Another object of the invention is to provide an arrangement so that the hair may be drawn outwardly through the guide to be operated upon by the clippers.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guide which will be sufiiciently adjustable to fit most any head and neck and one which may be adjusted as to diiferent lengths of hair desired and hair styles.

Another object of the invention is to provide a guide which will permit close and uniform cutting along the hair line, at the nape of the neck and around the ears.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which may be mass produced in many different sizes.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device, the sections of which may be molded in finished form.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device which can be made at a minimum expense and, therefore, one which may be sold at a minimum price in a competitive market.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists of certain novel features of construction as will be more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings:

FIG. 1 is an elevation illustrating the guide in position on the head of a person;

F IG. 2 is a fragmentary sectional view of one of the bars which are utilized in one of the sections; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective exploded view illustrating the sections in their relative position but detached one from another.

In proceeding with this invention, I provide a structure from a plurality of different sections which are assembled together. Each of the sections are molded so that in their finished form they are of a single piece of material without joints-or some extraneous means of attachment, this being possible because of the use of a plastic material in which the diiferent parts become integrated one to another. Essentially the structure comprises a back section and two side sections adjustably connected to the back section with a forehead piece connecting the side sections for adjustment of the encircling size of the structure. Further each of the sections attain some rigidity by reason of there being a continuous generally horizontal upper member and a continuous generally horizontal lower member with vertical bars or members extending between the horizontal parts.

With reference to the drawings, 10 designates generally the back section which is of a shape to fit the head of the user. It comprises an upper horizontal member 11 of a rather broad or wide dimension so as to afford the proper vertical rigidity although thin and somewhat horizontally flexible. This upper member 11 is generally stiif enough to assume the shape which is illustrated in FIG. 3 although it may be flexed somewhat fordisposing its end portions 12 and 13 different distances apart. A lower horizontal member 14 also extends generally in the same arcuate shape as the member 11 but is much reduced in its cross section as the rigidity at the lower ends is nowhere near as essential as at the upper portions of the sections. At the ends of this horizontal portion 14, although still extending somewhat horizontally, the lower member curves upwardly as at 15 to accommodate the area about the ear of the wearer. However, I refer to both the horizontal portion 14 and the upwardly curved portion 15 as the lower horizontal member of this section. A plurality of bars 1d extend between the upper horizontal member 11 and the lower horizontal portions 14 and 15 and are spaced one from the other in a dimension greater than the width or thickness of the bars 16. These bars 16 are curved different amounts to give a shape to the section for fitting about the head of the user, arching generally greater at the center portion of the section and arching less along the end portions of the section such as their extension from the portions 12 and 13 of the upper member. A reference to the drawing will better depict the curvatures than a word description. Some means for spacing the bars from the head is also provided such as an inwardly extending projection 17, or in some cases an additionaIprQjectiQn 19, to engage the head and space the bars from the head although allowing the hair to extend away from the head and through the bars for cutting. The upper horizontal member and the lower horizontal member of the bars are all formed integral as a single piece of material generally being molded from some plastic for this purpose, and thus there is no separate or extraneous means of attachment of the members or bars to the horizontal members. At the ends 12 and 13 of the upper horizontal member, there is formed a groove 18 by enlargement of the end of this member, the groove being suitable to slidingly receive -a correspondingly shaped portion for adjustment generally in line with the vertical extending bars 16 at the ends of the section 10.

Side sections designated generally 20 are substantially duplicates except that one is right-hand and the other is left-hand for fitting about the head. Each of these sections comprise an upper horizontal member 21 and a lower horizontal member 22 which is arched or curved at its rearmost portion as at 23 so as to be complemental to the arch portion 15 of the back section 10. Vertical members or bars 24 extend between the horizontal ex tending members 21 and 22, 23 and are spaced from each other a distance greater than the width of the bars, the spacing being similar to that above described with respect to section 10., These bars also have an inwardly extending projection 25 similar to the projection 17 so as to engage the head and space the bars therefrom, while at the rear ends of each of the upper horizontal members of the sections 20, there is provided a rounded enlargement 26 which is of a shape and size to fit into the groove 18 formed at the ends of the arcuate horizontal member 11 of the section it). The rounded portion 26 may be inserted in the ends of the groove 18 and will snugly fit therein, although it will be capable of vertical relative This forehead piece comprises an arcuate plate 31 having openings- 32 therein for ventilation and reducing the weight of its structure and is suitably curved so as to provide the desired stiffness. The upper portion 33 is of a width substantially the width of the upper horizontal members 21 of the sections 20 and is provided with slots 34 which receive screws 35 having heads 36 on the inner surface of the member 21 and which extend through these slots and are equipped with wing nuts 37 so as to bind the forehead piece in different positions of adjustment to vary the encircling size of the upper horizontal member about the head, thus providing the forehead part so that it will engage the forehead, while the guide sections 1.0 and 20 will fit about the head but be spaced therefrom by the projections 17 and 25 to a point which will enable the hair to be determined as to its length in cutting. In cutting the hair, there will be some brush which may be utilized for causing the hair to be lifted up so as to protrude through the spaces between the bars 16 and 24, and as this hair projects through these spaces, it may be clipped by electric clippers so that the hair will be substantially the length of the distance that the bars are from the head caused by the projections 17 and 25.

By reason of the supporting of the bars at their upper and lower ends, such as the integral formation above described, a very light although sufiiciently rigid guide may be provided Which will be comfortable upon the head and yet one which will serve to provide the necessary guide for the clipping of the hair of the head by the amateur or unskilled person.

I claim:

1. A haircutting guide comprising a plurality of at least two different sections assembled to provide a head embracing structure, the ends of the sections adapted to be adjacent the ear area when in use, interfitting means to relatively vertically bodily adjust the position of said sections with respect to each other, each section comprising single upper and lower generally horizontal members with generally vertical members extending between them and spaced a distance greater than their horizontal dimension both members of each section being integral and all of one piece of material all of said vertical members being arcuate to be closer to the head at their lower portions than portions intermediate their extent and all in a single uniform row.

2. A haircutting guide as in claim 1 wherein one section is arcuate to fit about the back of the head and other sections are joined thereto to complete the embracing of the head and means to adjust the encircling size of the embracing structure.

3. A haircutting guide as in claim 1 wherein one section is arcuate in a horizontal plane to fit about the back of the head and other sections are joined thereto to complete the embracing of the head, said means to vertically adjust the relative position of said other sections comprising slidable interfitting parts guiding said sections generally in the direction of said vertical members.

4. A haircutting guide as in claim 1 wherein individual projections on said vertical members engage the head and space the members therefrom and said vertical members terminate at said lower horizontal member.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS RICHARD A. GAUDET, Primary Examiner. 

1. A HAIRCUTTING GUIDE COMPRISING A PLURALITY OF AT LEAST TWO DIFFERENT SECTIONS ASSEMBLED TO PROVIDE A HEAD EMBRACING STRUCTURE, THE ENDS OF THE SECTIONS ADAPTED TO BE ADJACENT THE EAR AREA WHEN IN USE, INTERFITTING MEANS TO RELATIVELY VERTICALLY BODILY ADJUST THE POSITION OF SAID SECTIONS WITH RESPECT TO EACH OTHER, EACH SECTION COMPRISING SINGLE UPPER AND LOWER GENERALLY HORIZONTAL MEMBERS WITH GENERALLY VERTICAL MEMBERS EXTENDING BETWEEN THEM AND SPACED A DISTANCE GREATER THAN THEIR HORIZONTAL DIMENSION BOTH MEMBERS OF EACH SECTION BEING INTEGRAL AND ALL OF ONE PIECE OF MATERIAL ALL OF SAID VERTICAL MEMBERS BEING ARCUATE TO BE CLOSER TO THE HEAD AT THEIR LOWER PORTIONS THAN PORTIONS INTERMEDIATE THEIR EXTENT AND ALL IN A SINGLE UNIFORM ROW. 